Decline Sword Coast Legends Pre-Release Thread

[Grunker]

That's because D:OS has every modern RPG interface ever. Dragon Age, SCL, D:OS, and a sea of other RPGs basically work from the same interface. Even MMX:L is comparable.

 

[LeJosh]

That's true, center hotbar, portraits top left just seems to really work well.

Personally (amongst many others I wager) I'd prefer devs at least attempt a solid UI akin to IE games because screens have gotten so large that there's a lot of room to work with and can have an attractive border for your viewport.

Minimalism seems to be the "in-thing" for design in this era though.

 

[Grunker]

I agree. Current RPG UI design is lazy but functional, basically.

The knock against IE UI is always "but it takes up so much of the screen". Well my screen is fucking huge compared to yesteryear. Use something of it for our most important interaction with the game: the interface.

 

[LeJosh]

When the average monitor today is 22" and above that just doesn't fly any more.

At least it should be an option but from a dev's point of view that would cut into resources that could be spent else where.

A shame really, hardware got very powerful and screens got massive yet the ideas/designs seen back in those games just didn't follow.

 

[Viata]

https://youtu.be/Xm8r05oOiKA

It is pathetic.
It seems only fun thing in the game is to be the GM, and that seems to be only barely any fun in this MMO lite

So this is the power of old school game? The VA is, without doubt, what makes it better. I can see hours of old school development put into this game.

 

[Bubbles]

People on the official forums explain why they were disappointed by PoE:

I think SCL will stomp PoE. SCL has a smaller budget and is doing far more in terms of replay value. DM mode and Campaign creation mode are neat sounding. Possible Mod support might further this!

PoE is a burn game, burn games are where you are slapped on a path. Then pushed forward to the end. Game Over~ only replay value is harder difficulty.

The endurance/health system seems intriguing at first, however I hate the idea that members of party can be constantly beaten down, only to hop up right after the fight. SCL - give us traditional DnD downed mechanics and none of this "encounter over, downed party members hop up" business.

I much prefer DoS' TB combat over RT combat. And with a party of 6 it's just too much even on slow speed.

PoE is a brilliant game by all means but SCL will offer some seemingly awesome things that Pillars currently doesn't offer and from what I have seen of the character models, SCL is also more pleasing to the eye.

After putting and almost embarrassing amount of hours into PoE, SCL will have to work pretty hard to match up with it, which I am sure it will deliver on with the comparable elements (SP story).

PoE from what I have read and seen in gameplay is a burn game. There are no random encounters so it's pretty much just a book with some pictures which is fine for those who like that. I just like a bit of action with my story. 40+$ for a book with visuals is a bit much for me, when I go on my Kindle and get a book for about 5-10$

Will SCL do better?

 

[polo]

Woah, so much internet there.

 

[Xenich]

So does anyone still genuinely believe this is going to turn out better than Pillars?

I have some problems with PoE, but this game is an obvious mainstream gimmick. What is sad is that it has some interesting ideas, but it is drowning in all of its mainstream execution.

 

[prodigydancer]

People on the official forums explain why they were disappointed by PoE:

I think SCL will stomp PoE. SCL has a smaller budget and is doing far more in terms of replay value. DM mode and Campaign creation mode are neat sounding. Possible Mod support might further this!

PoE is a burn game, burn games are where you are slapped on a path. Then pushed forward to the end. Game Over~ only replay value is harder difficulty.

The endurance/health system seems intriguing at first, however I hate the idea that members of party can be constantly beaten down, only to hop up right after the fight. SCL - give us traditional DnD downed mechanics and none of this "encounter over, downed party members hop up" business.

I much prefer DoS' TB combat over RT combat. And with a party of 6 it's just too much even on slow speed.

PoE is a brilliant game by all means but SCL will offer some seemingly awesome things that Pillars currently doesn't offer and from what I have seen of the character models, SCL is also more pleasing to the eye.

After putting and almost embarrassing amount of hours into PoE, SCL will have to work pretty hard to match up with it, which I am sure it will deliver on with the comparable elements (SP story).

PoE from what I have read and seen in gameplay is a burn game. There are no random encounters so it's pretty much just a book with some pictures which is fine for those who like that. I just like a bit of action with my story. 40+$ for a book with visuals is a bit much for me, when I go on my Kindle and get a book for about 5-10$

Normally I'd recommend to start with a lobotomy but when there's obviously nothing inside the brain-box it's acceptable to skip straight to euthanasia.

 

[Bubbles]

It begins!

Hey gang! For the next several months we'll be introducing you to many of the heroes and villains of Sword Coast Legends. First on the list is Illydia Maethellyn, an elven cleric who might just become a powerful ally on your upcoming adventures in Faerûn.

Illydia Maethellyn: A moon-elf cleric of Sehanine Moonbow, Illydia has seen more pain and loss in her 140 years than even most elves see in a lifetime, but her faith in Sehanine Moonbow (a goddess of the moon and dreams) keeps her mind centered and her heart hopeful. With her ever-loyal friend and bodyguard Larethar by her side, she uses her talents with a bow and her goddess’ blessings to make up for her own past mistakes.

Spoiler

Moon Elf

Moon elves are the most commonly seen sort of elves in Faerûn. For centuries the policy of moon elf settlements was one of engagement (at least, relative to other types of elves) with others instead of the typical xenophobic isolationism. Today, far fewer of them have left during the Retreat. Many moon elves are also wanderers and explorers at heart, and thus they journey far among other races.

Appearance: Moon elves are also called silver elves (or Teu-tel-quessir in Elven), and are much paler than sun elves and wood elves, with faces of bleached white tinged with blue. Although all hair colors normally found in humans and elves can be found in this race, they are rare by comparison to the typical moon-elf hair colors of silver-white, black, or blue. Their eyes are blue or green, and have gold flecks.

Outlook:Moon elves are more impulsive than the other elves, and dislike remaining in one place for any significant amount of time. Most moon elves are happiest when traveling, especially across the expanses of untrodden wilderness that still survive in Faerûn. This is probably the single greatest reason why they are so much more friendly and accommodating to other races than many other elves: They do not isolate themselves from the human lands behind impervious defenses.

Moon elves have watched humankind for much longer than their sun or wood elf kin, and they know that nonelves aren’t as foolish and unimportant as most other elves think. They feel that engaging promising human realms such as Silverymoon and instilling elven values and culture in these young lands is a better way for the elven race to survive and thrive than hiding away and avoiding all contact with ambitious, grasping humans.

Nature and Magic: Like all surface elves, moon elves possess an innate connection to both nature and magic that helps to make them excellent wizards and amazing woodsmen. However, moon elves are neither as woodsy as wood elves, nor as magically inclined as sun elves.

Attitudes: Of all the elves, moon elves are the most impulsive, with a strong distaste for complacency or isolation. Moon elves long to be on the road, traveling and exploring the untamed wilderness that lies between cities and nations. This extroverted quality is part of the reason why moon elves get along uncommonly well with other races and have come to the conclusion that the N-Tel-Quess, that is to say, the non-elves, are not necessarily as foolhardy or unworthy as their brethren might think.

I thought I'd have to rehost the picture, but it was already hosted on imgur

 

[ArchAngel]

Wow, what a 2 sentence background. Such a complex character..
And then they c/p text about moon elves from PHB too fill in the page LOL . These guys are something else.

At this point I think these guys might be trying to make a worst D&D game yet.

 

[zero29]

hey, Bubbles. already collecting material for a review?

 

[Bubbles]

I don't know D&D enough to fairly review a game like this. This is a job for the grognards.

 

[Roguey]

It should be evaluated on its own merits, not "how closely does it resemble a tabletop system"

 

[Lhynn]

It should be evaluated on its own merits, not "how closely does it resemble a tabletop system"

I agree, sadly how much resembles a tabletop system is usually a good way of measuring its quality. Doubly so because 5th ed is a good system.

 

[Zorba the Hutt]

In general I also agree but one should also evaluate against the claims they've made in marketing materials in an attempt to rake in the preorders : in this case a "system based on D&D 5e".

Of course most in this thead were very sceptical about the "based on" aspect but when I bothered to check their forums I noticed people getting taken in by that. So now that they've produced something that has nothing to do with 5e it's fair to call them on it.

 

[Grunker]

It should be evaluated on its own merits, not "how closely does it resemble a tabletop system"

That depends on what the game is trying to accomplish. But I guess we're arguing semantics here. In any case no review will be hurt by 10 lines discussing the relation to 5th.

 

[Perkel]

Is it TB ?

 

[Bubbles]

Is it TB ?

Well, sort of. You can pretend that every cooldown represents a turn.

 

[Morblot]

Inb4 "Baldur's Gate is turn-based because you can set it to pause after each turn"

Although I'm probably late already...

 

[ArchAngel]

It should be evaluated on its own merits, not "how closely does it resemble a tabletop system"

And it could if it dropped the D&D tag.

 

[tuluse]

Inb4 "Baldur's Gate is turn-based because you can set it to pause after each turn"

Although I'm probably late already...

Each character has their own 6 second turn. They just removed the waiting around that earlier games couldn't do because of technological limitations.

 

[Perkel]

Inb4 "Baldur's Gate is turn-based because you can set it to pause after each turn"

Although I'm probably late already...

Each character has their own 6 second turn. They just removed the waiting around that earlier games couldn't do because of technological limitations.

Not if you played at 45fps like normal people. Just sayin'

 

[Zorba the Hutt]

The best thing about the last few pages is the frequent "whooosh"ing sound. No wonder Bubbles is feasting here

 

[Jaesun]

Dungeons & Dragons ‏@Wizards_DnD 36s36 seconds ago
Join us today for a live Q&A with the Sword Coast Legends team at 12 PM PDT! http://twitch.tv/swordcoastlegends… #dnd